The Lord is good to us, and I certainly feel the roller coaster aspect you mentioned. I am grateful that you gave had those few to support you and that you ha e out so much of yourself into the mission given to you.
The part about hustle hits, as well as constantly saying yes to the spirit. I pray for your continued success and for the moment you feel freed. I truly appreciate your input brother.
Yet another great read, and so relevant in these times! I completely agree with keeping biblical truths freely accessible to all. At the same time, I appreciate the way platforms like this one allow for optional support. It’s a gift when fellow believers choose to support one another, and it makes sense that deeper, more personal reflections or community-based elements might be reserved for those who are a bit more ‘invested’ not just financially, but relationally and spiritually, too.”
I understand the tension. My thought would be to offer “scholarships” (on the honor system). For those who can’t afford but will genuinely engage in and benefit from the content.
It could be as simple as adding a line at the bottom that says, “if money is an issue, send me an email for a gift subscription.
Good read! I am a new subscriber and fellow Christian substacker. I am retired campus pastor who used email for daily devotions for students for 10 years, then switched to social media and a website and wordpress blog until my retirement. Now, I'm a 77 year old trying to bridge secular and sacred divide on substact. I never thought of monetizing my writing until prompted by substact to put some of my archives behind paywalls. I'm not interested in doing that but your idea of using paywalls to give more priority tme to those hungry for a deeper dive into Scripture and a deeper walk with Jesus. Very thought provoking. I would love to have you subscribe and evaluate my message. I am open to collaboration and fellowship, brother!
I would be very excited to collaborate with you, and I am happy to know the message resonated with you. It is important to make sure we are engaging appropriately and fully, but also to receive support as our audience sees fit.
I thank you as well for your service to the Kingdom, and look forward to seeing your works. Blessings brother!
I think this is a question that each of us has to take the the Holy Spirit. It is contextual, I think.
IMHO you have to balance between what you can communicate to the masses and what requires 1x1 or small group engagement.
The smaller the audience, the more of me required to get to the good stuff. I only have so much to go around, and in order to focus down, I have to lose income opportunity to care for my family.
I think, the balance is - give away EVERYTHING you can communicate to the masses and ask for support for those who require focused time.
You’re right that this not a new or modern issue. Paul addressed it with the Corinthian church. Apparently some “teachers” were charging or expecting financial support. He rebuked them & the church saying they would support themselves.
I saw this evolve in a similar way during the early Jesus Movement on the West coast (where I lived & served). Christian bands would play for a love offering at first, but then they got older, married, had kids. So the “solution” was to charge admission at concerts or require a guaranteed fee of a church or organization. It evolved from there.
Obviously, I’m old school, cuz well, I’m old 😉& my wife & I still live on a faith-basis = no guaranteed salary, kinda like when we served as missionaries overseas. God has always provided. I sell my books, but I also give plenty of them away. I won’t be rich any time soon 😏
It comes down to trusting the Lord, praying, listening to His Spirit & our conscience.
This may seem too simple, maybe foolish to some, but God’s been faithful to us for 50+ yrs.
So, if God gives you peace to do (or not do) one thing or another, go for it! If no peace in your heart & mind, wait or don’t do it.
But what if… you fail or make the wrong decision? God’s grace is greater than our failures & our foolishness. I know this only too well from experience (about God’s grace).
Yeah man, that really resonates. For me, I had a solid run as a full-time church staff pastor—almost a decade—but the last seven years have looked a lot more like a missionary lifestyle outside the walls of church staff systems. I’ve just been trying to stay faithful to the call.
I’ve preached, taught theology, mentored students, created podcasts, written classes and workshops—all of it flowing from this sense that I’ve been entrusted with something, and I can’t imagine building my life around anything other than helping people know Jesus better. It’s never been about building a brand or turning ministry into a business. Just obedience.
But man… it’s been a roller coaster. The path has been really hard. I’ve had some faithful support from a few churches and patrons I have relationship with, but it only covers a small fraction of what we need. The rest has been this patchwork of tent-making jobs—freelance design, writing, voice acting, consulting… whatever I can do to keep things going.
These days, I’m just longing for the day I can feel fully supported and freed up to pour myself into this ministry without constantly hustling. But until then, I’m trying to be faithful with what I’ve got. Reminding myself that it’s not my job to save the world or squeeze the most “potential” out of myself… just to keep saying yes to the Spirit and walk through the doors He opens.
I wrestled with the exact same questions early on. I publish daily so I considered possibly making part of the week free and part for paid subscribers only. I considered additional content for paid subscribers as well, though that made less sense since my readers are already overwhelmed with my daily content.
After praying and considering the options, I ultimately decided to offer everything free. If God has something He wants to say through me I want His intended recipient to hear it.
So,I just ask people to sponsor my work. I currently have about 26 paid subscribers and many more who have given one time donations. It doesn't really pay for the tools and certainly doesn't pay my time, but every donated dollar helps. At the end of the day, I just want to be faithful in doing what God wants me to do.
I feel this tremendously, and thank you for your input! That is certainly sound logic and a heartfelt approach to the mission, and I appreciate your openness about the cost to yourself as well. Blessings!
The Lord is good to us, and I certainly feel the roller coaster aspect you mentioned. I am grateful that you gave had those few to support you and that you ha e out so much of yourself into the mission given to you.
The part about hustle hits, as well as constantly saying yes to the spirit. I pray for your continued success and for the moment you feel freed. I truly appreciate your input brother.
Yet another great read, and so relevant in these times! I completely agree with keeping biblical truths freely accessible to all. At the same time, I appreciate the way platforms like this one allow for optional support. It’s a gift when fellow believers choose to support one another, and it makes sense that deeper, more personal reflections or community-based elements might be reserved for those who are a bit more ‘invested’ not just financially, but relationally and spiritually, too.”
Thank you for your encouragement and taking part in the dialogue! It is most certainly something worth considering when moving forward
I understand the tension. My thought would be to offer “scholarships” (on the honor system). For those who can’t afford but will genuinely engage in and benefit from the content.
It could be as simple as adding a line at the bottom that says, “if money is an issue, send me an email for a gift subscription.
That is a fantastic thought, thank you Jason
Good read! I am a new subscriber and fellow Christian substacker. I am retired campus pastor who used email for daily devotions for students for 10 years, then switched to social media and a website and wordpress blog until my retirement. Now, I'm a 77 year old trying to bridge secular and sacred divide on substact. I never thought of monetizing my writing until prompted by substact to put some of my archives behind paywalls. I'm not interested in doing that but your idea of using paywalls to give more priority tme to those hungry for a deeper dive into Scripture and a deeper walk with Jesus. Very thought provoking. I would love to have you subscribe and evaluate my message. I am open to collaboration and fellowship, brother!
I would be very excited to collaborate with you, and I am happy to know the message resonated with you. It is important to make sure we are engaging appropriately and fully, but also to receive support as our audience sees fit.
I thank you as well for your service to the Kingdom, and look forward to seeing your works. Blessings brother!
Paul sucked me into this important convo! Ha.
I think this is a question that each of us has to take the the Holy Spirit. It is contextual, I think.
IMHO you have to balance between what you can communicate to the masses and what requires 1x1 or small group engagement.
The smaller the audience, the more of me required to get to the good stuff. I only have so much to go around, and in order to focus down, I have to lose income opportunity to care for my family.
I think, the balance is - give away EVERYTHING you can communicate to the masses and ask for support for those who require focused time.
This makes absolute sense too with your House Church movement! Thank you Kevin, your input is always golden
Fixed the typos. Haha. I was thinking you couldn't edit a message, but I found it.
The man is in fact mortal flesh he says!
Sorry for typos. Ha. On my phone.
You’re right that this not a new or modern issue. Paul addressed it with the Corinthian church. Apparently some “teachers” were charging or expecting financial support. He rebuked them & the church saying they would support themselves.
I saw this evolve in a similar way during the early Jesus Movement on the West coast (where I lived & served). Christian bands would play for a love offering at first, but then they got older, married, had kids. So the “solution” was to charge admission at concerts or require a guaranteed fee of a church or organization. It evolved from there.
Obviously, I’m old school, cuz well, I’m old 😉& my wife & I still live on a faith-basis = no guaranteed salary, kinda like when we served as missionaries overseas. God has always provided. I sell my books, but I also give plenty of them away. I won’t be rich any time soon 😏
It comes down to trusting the Lord, praying, listening to His Spirit & our conscience.
This may seem too simple, maybe foolish to some, but God’s been faithful to us for 50+ yrs.
So, if God gives you peace to do (or not do) one thing or another, go for it! If no peace in your heart & mind, wait or don’t do it.
But what if… you fail or make the wrong decision? God’s grace is greater than our failures & our foolishness. I know this only too well from experience (about God’s grace).
What a wonderful testimony and statement. Thank the Lord, and thank you for taking the time to make this response!
Yeah man, that really resonates. For me, I had a solid run as a full-time church staff pastor—almost a decade—but the last seven years have looked a lot more like a missionary lifestyle outside the walls of church staff systems. I’ve just been trying to stay faithful to the call.
I’ve preached, taught theology, mentored students, created podcasts, written classes and workshops—all of it flowing from this sense that I’ve been entrusted with something, and I can’t imagine building my life around anything other than helping people know Jesus better. It’s never been about building a brand or turning ministry into a business. Just obedience.
But man… it’s been a roller coaster. The path has been really hard. I’ve had some faithful support from a few churches and patrons I have relationship with, but it only covers a small fraction of what we need. The rest has been this patchwork of tent-making jobs—freelance design, writing, voice acting, consulting… whatever I can do to keep things going.
These days, I’m just longing for the day I can feel fully supported and freed up to pour myself into this ministry without constantly hustling. But until then, I’m trying to be faithful with what I’ve got. Reminding myself that it’s not my job to save the world or squeeze the most “potential” out of myself… just to keep saying yes to the Spirit and walk through the doors He opens.
I wrestled with the exact same questions early on. I publish daily so I considered possibly making part of the week free and part for paid subscribers only. I considered additional content for paid subscribers as well, though that made less sense since my readers are already overwhelmed with my daily content.
After praying and considering the options, I ultimately decided to offer everything free. If God has something He wants to say through me I want His intended recipient to hear it.
So,I just ask people to sponsor my work. I currently have about 26 paid subscribers and many more who have given one time donations. It doesn't really pay for the tools and certainly doesn't pay my time, but every donated dollar helps. At the end of the day, I just want to be faithful in doing what God wants me to do.
I feel this tremendously, and thank you for your input! That is certainly sound logic and a heartfelt approach to the mission, and I appreciate your openness about the cost to yourself as well. Blessings!